Gem of the Ocean

Gem of the Ocean (Classic)

August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle (a series of ten plays each set in a different decade) begins with Gem of the Ocean, which takes place in 1904 in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The play unfolds in the home of Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old wise woman. Citizen Barlow, a man who has fled from Alabama after indirectly causing another man’s death, has come to Aunt Ester’s because of the tales he has heard of her soul-cleansing powers. When an incident in the town causes the death of Solly, a former slave and conductor of the Underground Railroad, we see Citizen step up to continue Solly’s legacy, having discovered the importance of history and freedom.